WASHINGTON — Gabriel Perez, a White House teleprompter operator who reportedly used inside knowledge to place bets on President Donald Trump’s speeches on the online prediction market Kalshi, is no longer employed by the federal government, according to a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. The official declined to specify whether Perez resigned or was fired.

Earlier this month, the White House confirmed Perez had been placed on unpaid leave following an ABC News report that he used his position to win more than $100,000 betting on what the president would say during major speeches, including the State of the Union address earlier this year. This amount exceeds half of Perez’s $175,000 salary for his teleprompter duties, according to White House personnel records.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the insider trading reports as “deeply unfortunate and, frankly, a disgrace.”

Robert Denault, Kalshi’s lawyer and head of enforcement, stated on X that the platform’s surveillance team promptly flagged, investigated, and referred the trades to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which regulates such matters. Kalshi recently implemented a policy requiring users to disclose their employment and prohibits betting based on information gained through their jobs.

The ABC News report highlighted suspicious activity on Kalshi’s “Mentions” market, where users bet on phrases and specific words used in public speeches. Perez has operated Trump’s teleprompter since 2016.

Associated Press writer Bill Barrow contributed to the reporting.

Sources